Bespoken For
by l0chn3ss
Summary: "There'd better be some hope with Tsubaki, especially since both Kid and Bella couldn't afford to look for another tailor."


Written for rare pair appreciation day; prompt used loosely ;3

Nov 2017  
Prompt: Tasteful

* * *

He was due for another fitting, entering the boutique just on time for his appointment. While Kid's secretary was always one who urged him to be earlier for any pre-scheduled, that phrase about how being fifteen minutes early meant on-time, he'd much rather be at leisure. He didn't even see his regular person when he walked in. All the more reason to not be unnecessarily timely.

Sitting by the window, he picked up a magazine that they had spread on the coffee table, reading for another five minutes before he was finally called in by the person at the front desk. But he took the copy of Cosmopolitan in with him, all too knowing that his stylist would take another moment to set up and finish her last client. Setting his suit on the rack on the side, then making himself comfortable on his usual chair, he flipped page after page. It was only when the curtain slid open that he got up from his seat to greet Bella.

It wasn't her who he saw. Rather, it was another tall woman, dark hair tucked in a bun and pins stuck in her sleeves. She came in first, then Kid's usual person. They were both in uniform, though one looked newer than the other, so he was unsure of why there was a need for an assistant that day.

His question was immediately answered after Bella greeted him, introducing the new trainee as a promising girl close to his age. Tsubaki extended her hand out for a polite shake, entertaining a "how do you do" before setting down her supplies next to her new manager's. Moving carefully, orienting herself around her bag, she drew out a couple of more pins and measuring tools as Bella took a moment to talk to Kid privately.

"Tsu is freshly out of school. You'll be nice to her, won't you?"

He frowned, "I'll do no such thing unless it's warranted."

"Oh, it will be. She's skilled. Worked in other shops as an intern before. Using this place as a springboard to make it as a designer." Bella clucked her tongue. "She's an ambitious one."

Eyes trailing after her, Kid said, "You know I don't like most of your employees."

"But she's different," Bella assured. "Girl's got a good head on her shoulders, and besides, you only disliked Mels and Betty because they chattered and couldn't keep a seam straight."

"And what does that say about their competence?"

"Touche. Still, I'm hoping that Tsu will become your more permanent associate."

He sighed, resigning to the logic that it was only a matter of time until Bella became too busy to attend to him. As his father's friend, she made a special exception to Kid and worked on his suits herself. Lately however, she'd been working on new contract deals and campaigns along with another new line of casual slacks, leaving close to no time to meet up with Kid for his appointments.

There'd better be some hope with Tsubaki, especially since both Kid and Bella couldn't afford to look for another tailor.

At the beginning of the session with Kid dressed up from head to toe, Tsubaki had already caught the looseness of the upper arms, attention trained on the area as she told Kid as such. She waited for his consent before reaching to measure around his bicep, poking at his arm with her fingers and testing out the material of his suit. Expert hands slid new pins into the place of old ones, managing to keep away from ever grazing the dress shirt under his coat. And following some of the most obvious alterations that she could see immediately, she ran through every major point, as if following a comprehensive list from memory, just to see if there were any spots that she'd missed. Kid lifted his arms when directed, holding his hands behind his back, lifting his knees to be on par with his waist, never needing to stay in an uncomfortable position for too long thanks to Tsubaki's quick judgement.

It was half way through when Kid noticed that Bella had already slipped out of the room, shocked that a trainee was left alone with a customer. But by this time, Kid knew that he already had trust in her skills, and in Bella's judgment. Tsubaki didn't seem to need any extra instructions, gliding across the room as she examined a spot in every angle. So Bella was right; Tsubaki was perhaps a little different than the others.

Kid especially thought so when she asked him how his inner knee felt.

If all went well, this would have been the last day that the suit needed before becoming complete. He walked around the room for a moment longer until Bella came back in, drawing a smile from Tsubaki whose expression hadn't changed much at all through the process. She took only a glance at Kid before praising Tsubaki heavily, beaming and ushering her around Kid, noting particular places that she was most proud of.

"The only thing is the waist. Wouldn't it look better a tad tighter?"

Tsubaki tapped her chin, "I thought so at first until I considered the nature of the clothes themselves," briefly going into an explanation.

And in mid sentence, Bella reached to squeeze both of her cheeks, cooing. "Oh, how right you think you are! Tighten it, dear. A couple of more years in this industry and you'll see that you can't always rely on textile chemistry to make clothes look good. A good attempt, sugar!"

Kid looked away from Tsubaki's small pout, getting back onto the platform and lifting his arms until there was enough space for her to fit.

Through the following months, he visited the boutique scarcely. There were very few moments where he found a need for it; a split crotch and favors from his father were his main drive. During each time, he was referred to Tsubaki who had quickly become a mix of both an errand girl and someone who undergo all the sudden and strange tasks that customers walked in for. It was almost like a hazing event, to see if the girl was up to the task and could handle what the store threw in her face.

She was more than eager to complete each task, as a good employee should. Though she stumbled through some rather ineloquently, Kid could see a visible difference between his visits. Day 1 to day 100 showed a stark difference in not only her work but also how open she became to her customers and her team. Tsubaki learned to smile from her heart, to lend a genuine hand and hold meaningful conversation with others. The boutique wasn't meant to be a mere stop for clothes, but to also be a familiar place that people could come to; that was the sort of world that Bella wanted to share.

Eventually, though some miracle of networking and short notice emergencies, Kid and Tsubaki began to meet up outside of the shop, starting with a rush job in a women's bathroom stall. After the initial favor, Kid didn't believe that her good nature and generous attitude should've gone unrewarded. All things would come to have an equal exchange, just how the world of business and chemistry worked out, so he wanted to take fate into his own hands and decided that their next interaction wouldn't be that of a frantic text, but with something else.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't have time for that until a couple of weeks later, after a series of back luck, or good, pulled Tsubaki back into action and saving his little accidents time and time again. A clumsy lady and spilt wine that required an immediate dress shirt change. A careless assistant during an intermission. An actual intentional cut with angry scissors that ran down his arm during the break of one of the most important meetings of the seasons. Each time Tsubaki was messaged, no matter how cryptic and deadpan the text read, she came through for Kid.

It was customary for him to make thank you calls and to show gratitude through small cards or emails, but it was strange for him to reach out to another person outside of work. Sending Tsubaki a text with a friendly intent was hard enough to draft- a call would have been too intimate he thought- and to send it took more courage than he thought was needed. Luckily for him, a mistaken flick of his thumb caused the screen to scroll up, and his brush with the last three instances of shame could be seen on screen.

The most recent was the most strange of the bunch.

"Nor on 5th. 1905. Bk jacket & f aid."

"Omw," was her answer.

And how happy was he to see her arrive with bandages, a new suit jacket, and even a fresh tie in 9 and a half minutes flat. She strode over to where Kid was huddled in the empty conference room, clearing the distance in no time at all. Handing off the clothes to a chair, she tended to his bloody arm and listened to his indignant muttering about how he would ruin FrekTel Inc, mark his words. Any company that would hire an associate who got physical after a failed business deal wasn't going to last.

"She flew right off the handle. Grabbed fucking scissors from god knows where. Ripped a line right through my only Hilburn. Good ol' Hilburn!"

Tsubaki's eyes flicked to his. "It might be for the better. Perhaps give Kent Wang a try?"

"You're not suppose to be promoting other businesses."

"Bella's son ordered from them last month, and even she said they were reputable for a reason."

"Was that before or after she cussed Jeffery out?"

She smiled, "After."

All of those jokes aside, her presence was a blessing, and her taste for clothes just the same. She deserved more than a hasty thanks and promises to be more careful the next time around. Kid sent along the message after one more bit of hesitation, rereading it for errors and to make sure that his point was conveyed correctly. The worst that could happen was that his invitation could be ignored or declined, he thought.

But luckily for him, her response came as quick as ever.

They set their calendars for the next available time that coincided, formalities dropping once the second invitation was extended. Eventually, they worked their way up to restful coffee breaks during lunch. When an afternoon at one of Tsubaki's favorite brunch places further revealed her love for breakfast foods, Sundays became their new default meetup times with scattered lunch spots in between the week.

"I'll get the bill next time" became "who's turn is it?" And "how was your day" became "you won't believe what happened yesterday."

Soon enough, secrets of his trade and hers were revealed. Then came their own, careful and shy. Once that window was open, their trust in one another grew in ways that they hadn't expected, knowing in their hearts that they'd found a kindred soul to share their stories with.

TBC; Will be a part 2


End file.
